Ugg GBS+

[MangoMommy]

I'm feeling depressed, my test came back GBS+. I"m delivering in a hospital w/a midwife and doula.

I'm just so bummed...hoping I make it up to the hospital in time to have the baby but not so early that I'm hooked up to an IV forever, ugg.

Off to research it....

[kamane18]

Can you ask to be retested next week and in the meantime load up on echinacea, Vit C, probiotics and garlic? Might lead to a negative re-test.

[Voltige]

I'm rather expecting to be GBS+ as well even though I tested negative earlier this pregnancy. With my son's delivery I was positive and didn't know enough to question the abx. My labor went so quickly, however, that the midwife never got the IV started in time and I managed to avoid everything. My son was fine, no issues at all.

This time I plan to be tested (probably next week) but decline the abx. I am prepared for this labor to go just as quickly and I don't want to be stuck with an IV during transition.

There are other things you can do for GBS+ status prior to the birth to minimize risk to the newborn. I might be researching these myself next week.

[Carlin]

I just did the GBS swab on Thursday and am waiting for results. If I test positive my current plan is to try the homeopathic regime my midwife has used and retest if possible. If that doesn't work I plan to decline antibiotics unless there are other risk factors (like water breaking early, or fever) and just watch baby carefully for signs of infection. Really, I figure that if I test negative, that doesn't mean I won't be positive at the time of birth anyways, so we'd want to be aware of the possibility of infection regardless of the test results.

[sarahwg]

I'll find out my results when I see my MW on Tuesday...I asked him if I would need to go on abx if I was positive and he said that wasn't the procedure here in France anymore (or not his, not sure). Instead they will just birth the baby and check the baby for infection after...they just need to be aware of it ahead of time. Though maybe I will have more details about this when I see him on Tuesday.

[boscopup]

Lots of GBS information here:

http://gentlebirth.org/archives/gbs.html

[beachcomber]

It's not so bad. I'm GBS+, too. Being hooked up to an IV doesn't last all that long and it doesn't prevent you from moving about in hospital, either.

[CultivatingMyRoots]

If you REALLY decide to get the abx (which I think are the devil and gave me and my daughter AWFUL systemic thrush that honestly cost me three months of my life in agony from my nipples and my intestines, not to mention my daughter's colic and digestion/food intolerances) remember to get a saline lock instead of the IV, so that they don't keep you hooked up. I would think a midwife would know that, but I don't know if the hospital has 'rules.'

Otherwise, I think the abx are honestly an awful drug, especially without PROM, and routine cervical checks make the abx less effective anyways, and increase the baby's risk of E. coli infection, which the abx don't treat. the rate of E coli infection increases with the use of the abx, because the good bacteria which usually compete with the E coli are killed by the abx.

Also, probiotics. If you get the abx (or really, just because, they can't hurt!) make sure to repopulate your body with good bacteria to fight thrush/yeast and all sorts of nasties. Baby needs it to. We're giving Nature's Way Children's formula to baby within the first hour of being born; that way we don't have to go through the awful issues we had with my first DD, which took months to fix, even after we finally discovered the problem.

I've written my novel, but I did the research before DD was born, and then got bullied into the abx anyways. It's one of my biggest regrets.

Oh, and don't let them give you the 'we need to keep the baby for 48 hours if you decline the abx' crap. Because it is just that. Infection is rare, and easy to diagnose, especially if you're not a first-time mom.

[OneLove]

I tested possitive too...here are some links I have

http://www.moondragon.org/mdbsguidelines/strepb.html

https://www.mothering.com/discussion...d.php?p=118669

http://thebirthsource.homestead.com/gbs.html

The gentle birth site is good too...

Not sure what I am doing. I'm having a home birth. My MW says most of her people don't even test, and therefore they do nothing. I tested with my hospital affiliated shadow care provider.

I could do a wash with an antibacterial soap, or my MW gave me a Chinese herbal wash. I'm wondering what the homeopathic treatment would be?


Andee

[Carlin]

Originally Posted by OneLove

I could do a wash with an antibacterial soap, or my MW gave me a Chinese herbal wash. I'm wondering what the homeopathic treatment would be?


Andee

I'll try to remember to ask my midwife at my appointment on Tuesday for more details. I know it's a whole regime, and involves a bunch of different things, including garlic. I didn't ask for details, as I'm really hoping I won't need to know!

[MangoMommy]

I go back this Thursday (assuming baby doesn't come before then LOL) and I'll press her about my options if I want to skip the antibiotics. I just don't want my new one to start off life full of that stuff KWIM? I want her to nurse and get what she's supposed to get (as nature designed, KWIM?)

I was hoping to skip out after 24 hrs (the hosp policy) but I think this might change it...I don't mind staying another day for her if that means I can skip the antbx.

[Voltige]

Originally Posted by beachcomber

It's not so bad. I'm GBS+, too. Being hooked up to an IV doesn't last all that long and it doesn't prevent you from moving about in hospital, either.

They could not get the IV started on me last time. I was in transition and was stuck multiple times in multiple places before the midwife stopped. She realized that the baby would arrive within the hour and that abx would not do anything at that point. Let me just say that the only thing worse than transition was the constant needing poking while I was trying to focus and keep myself together. I refuse to go through that again :

I'm not sure what the birth center policy is this time around. When my son was born, since I was GBS+, I had to stay the full 12 hours before they would release me. Otherwise I could have gone home 4 hours after the birth. Either way is fine with me. Hopefully it's the same this time around. I'll ask next week at my appointment.

[TrishWSU]

Originally Posted by CultivatingMyRoots

Otherwise, I think the abx are honestly an awful drug, especially without PROM, and routine cervical checks make the abx less effective anyways, and increase the baby's risk of E. coli infection, which the abx don't treat. the rate of E coli infection increases with the use of the abx, because the good bacteria which usually compete with the E coli are killed by the abx.

Not to be the scary, fear mongering one, but this is exactly why my MW is very opposed to treating with abx. The MW she apprenticed under lost a baby to an E. coli infection because the mom had received the abx for GBS during labor, then they masked the symptoms of the E. coli and no one realized the baby was so sick until it was too late. So now my midwife will very very rarely give abx (like maybe if the mom is barely 37 weeks and her water has been broken for 2 days.) She would much rather just observe the baby for signs of an infection instead of giving the mom abx unnecessarily. The chance of a baby actually contracting a fatal GBS infection is something like .5-1%, which for me is a risk I'm comfortable with.

My last two pregnancies I was + so this time for a week before I had the test I put a clove of peeled garlic in vaginally every night, plus I have been taking a probiotic and cranberry extract tablets for a while. My swab was negative...I don't know if what I did helped, but I guess it didn't hurt.

[Alohamelly]

I was GBS+ last time and getting the antibiotics wasn't that bad. It was just boring, because we had to wait 4 hours to induce. I was able to get up and walk around and do regular stuff though.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by MangoMommy

I'm feeling depressed, my test came back GBS+.

Me, too, MangoMommy. GBS +. Gah!!! I *really* was hoping for a normal result. I am having a HB, though, so the IV antibiotics are not an option for me. I am a little stressed about the cleanse/wash that came in my birth kit actually working.

I don't know *anything* about probiotics, or the garlic, diet, etc, to help with reducing the GBS bacteria. I guess I will be googling like mad over the next few days.

[beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Voltige

They could not get the IV started on me last time. I was in transition and was stuck multiple times in multiple places before the midwife stopped. She realized that the baby would arrive within the hour and that abx would not do anything at that point. Let me just say that the only thing worse than transition was the constant needing poking while I was trying to focus and keep myself together. I refuse to go through that again :

Oh, this would have been horrible! I can't imagine having to deal with that kind of an annoyance while in transition. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably have hit somebody!

[Voltige]

Originally Posted by beachcomber

Oh, this would have been horrible! I can't imagine having to deal with that kind of an annoyance while in transition. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably have hit somebody!

It WAS awful. I kept my head buried in pillows and was swearing all sorts of things. I'm just difficult to stick anyway. When I had my gall bladder surgery they had to call in the special IV nurse to get it started, and even she missed a few times at first : I'll be tested for GBS tomorrow. I just hope it's negative.

[TrishWSU]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

Me, too, MangoMommy. GBS +. Gah!!! I *really* was hoping for a normal result. I am having a HB, though, so the IV antibiotics are not an option for me. I am a little stressed about the cleanse/wash that came in my birth kit actually working.

I don't know *anything* about probiotics, or the garlic, diet, etc, to help with reducing the GBS bacteria. I guess I will be googling like mad over the next few days.

There is a lot of info about GBS in this link. http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gbs.html For some peace of mind, from the research I have done in the past (no idea what the links are now) the chances of a baby actually developing a fatal infection from GBS is .5-1%, so extremely low.

[Beauchamp]

Thank you, Trish! That link has a lot of good info. Now I feel pretty confident in the Hibiclens wash in my birth kit, based off reading that.

Right now I am doing a 7-day Monistat based off my MWs assessment at my home visit that I was on the verge of a yeast infection. (ugg) I wonder if that will help any with keeping GBS in check? Maybe I need to eat more yogurt. I've heard that helps, too.